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Abstract:

A wood chipper includes a housing having an inlet opening and a discharge
outlet with a chipper disk rotatably mounted in the housing and having a
chipper knife mounted on a front face thereof adjacent a chipper slot
extending through the disk. A plurality of fins are mounted on the back
face of the chipper disk. An inlet hopper is connected to the inlet
opening and a blow back shield is mounted in the upper end portion of the
hopper with the shield including an outer layer of clear synthetic
material extending across the hopper and an inner layer of synthetic
material extending part way underneath the length of the layer of clear
synthetic material. The inner layer may be provided with a safety warning
thereon which is visible through the outer layer of clear synthetic
material. A discharge chute is connected to the discharge outlet which
has inwardly angled plates around part thereof. Vent holes are provided
in a wall of the housing which add air flow to the wood chipper when it
is being operated.

Claims:

1. A wood chipper comprising:a housing having an inlet opening and a
discharge outlet;a chipper disk rotatably mounted in said housing and
having a chipper knife mounted on an axial front cutting face thereof and
a chipper slot adjacent said chipper knife and extending through said
front cutting face to an axial back face;a plurality of fins mounted on
said back face of said chipper disk;a motor for driving said chipper
disk;an inlet hopper connected to said inlet opening; anda blow back
shield mounted to an upper end portion of said hopper, said shield
comprising an outer layer of clear synthetic material extending across
said hopper and an inner layer of synthetic material extending part way
underneath a length of said layer of clear synthetic material.

2. The wood chipper according to claim 1 wherein said inner layer has
safety warning information thereon which is visible through said outer
layer of clear plastic material.

3. The wood chipper according to claim 1 which further comprises a
discharge chute connected to said discharge outlet and inwardly angled
plates around at least part of said discharge outlet which focus material
being discharged towards a center of said discharge chute.

4. The wood chipper according to claim 3 which further comprises vent
holes in a wall of said housing which add airflow to said housing.

5. The wood chipper according to claim 3 wherein said discharge chute is
mounted for swivel movement with respect to said discharge outlet.

6. The wood chipper according to claim 1 wherein handle holes are provided
adjacent a top portion of a back wall of said inlet hopper.

7. The wood chipper according to claim 1 which further comprises a wheeled
platform and a hitch mounted to said platform.

8. The wood chipper according to claim 7 wherein said hitch has an outer
end portion pivotally connected to an inner hitch portion whereby said
outer end portion is pivotable from a horizontal towing position to an
upright position to support said platform in a horizontal position.

9. The wood chipper according to claim 1 wherein said inlet hopper
includes a neck portion connecting the hopper to said inlet opening and a
replaceable wear plate is attached to a bottom wall inside of said neck
portion at the inlet opening.

10. The wood chipper according to claim 9 which further includes a side
anvil attached to each side of said inlet opening on the inside of said
inlet hopper.

11. The wood chipper according to claim 9 wherein said inlet hopper is
connected to said neck portion by bolts on the outside of said hopper and
said neck portion.

12. The wood chipper according to claim 1 wherein said chipper knife is
removably mounted to said chipper disk.

13. A wood chipper comprising:a housing having an inlet opening and a
discharge outlet;a chipper disk rotatably mounted in said housing and
having a chipper knife mounted on an axial front cutting face thereof and
a chipper slot adjacent said chipper knife and extending through said
front cutting face to an axial back face;a plurality of fins mounted on
said back face of said chipper disk;a motor for driving said chipper
disk;an inlet chopper connected to said inlet opening;a discharge chute
connected to said discharge outlet; andinwardly angled plates around at
least part of said discharge outlet which focus material being discharged
towards a center of said discharge chute.

14. The wood chipper according to claim 13 which further comprises vent
holes in a wall of said housing which ad airflow to said housing.

15. The wood chipper according to claim 3 wherein said discharge chute is
mounted for swivel movement with respect to said discharge outlet.

16. The wood chipper according to claim 13 wherein said inlet hopper
includes a neck portion connecting the hopper to said inlet opening and a
replaceable wear plate is attached to a bottom wall inside of said neck
portion at the inlet opening.

17. The wood chipper according to claim 16 which further includes a side
anvil attached to each side of said inlet opening on the inside of said
inlet hopper.

18. The wood chipper according to claim 13 which further comprises a
wheeled platform and a hitch attached to said platform and wherein said
hitch has an outer end portion pivotally connected to an inner hitch
position whereby said outer end portion is pivotable from a horizontal
towing position to an upright position to support said platform in a
horizontal position.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention relates to an improved wood chipper and, more
particularly, a rapid self feeding wood chipper of the disk type wherein
a cutting knife is carried rotatably on the face of a spinning disk.

[0003]2. Description of the Related Art

[0004]Many types of wood chippers are well known and are used to chip
trees, brush, branches, twigs, bushes and the like into wood chips. The
wood chippers come in a wide variety of types and sizes.

[0005]A conventional wood chipper of the disk type includes a spinning
disk regularly carrying one or more cutting knives on a cutting face
thereof and mounted in a housing. An inlet hopper is connected to an
inlet opening of the housing and a discharge chute is connected to a
discharge outlet of the housing.

[0006]There is a need in the art for a disk type wood chipper wherein the
wood or other material to be chipped can be rapidly and easily received
in the inlet hopper and then be self feed. It is further important that
the inlet hopper be provided with a suitable blowback cover and a safety
warning. Moreover, it is desirable to have an adequate air flow through
the system so that the wood chips may be efficiently discharged through a
discharge chute.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007]It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wood
chipper having a large inlet hopper with a blow back shield mounted at
the top thereof and which includes a first outer layer of a clear plastic
material and a second inner layer of a plastic material extending part
way underneath the length of the first outer layer of clear plastic
material and having safety warning information thereon which is visible
through the outer layer of clear plastic material.

[0008]Another object of the invention is to provide a wood chipper with a
discharge outlet from the chipper housing having inwardly angled plates
around at least a part of the discharge outlet to focus material being
discharged towards a center of a discharge chute and to help prevent
clogging.

[0009]A further object of the invention is to provide a wood chipper
having vent holes in a wall of the chipper housing which add air flow to
the housing to improve the flow of chipped material out through the
discharged chute and help prevent clogging.

[0010]Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wood
chipper having an inlet hopper with integral handle holes thereon which
may be easily gripped to manually move the wood chipper.

[0011]A still further object of the invention is to provide a wood chipper
mounted on a wheeled platform and having a hitch connected thereto
whereby the wood chipper may be easily towed.

[0012]The present invention achieves the above and other objects by
providing a wood chipper which includes a housing mounted on a wheeled
platform and having an inlet opening and a discharge outlet. The housing
has a chipper disk rotatably mounted therein with a chipper knife mounted
on an axial front cutting face thereof and a chipper slot adjacent the
chipper knife and extending through the front cutting face to an axial
back face whereby wood chips which are cut by the chipper knife may flow
through the slot to the backside of the chipper disk. A plurality of fins
are mounted on the back face of the chipper disk whereby the fins create
an airflow and also hit the chip material which passes through the slots
and impels the chips to the discharge outlet. A motor is provided for
driving the chipper disk. An inlet hopper is connected to the housing
inlet opening and a blow back shield is mounted to an upper end portion
of the hopper with the shield including an outer layer of clear synthetic
material extending across the hopper and an inner layer of synthetic
material extending part way underneath the length of the layer of clear
synthetic material and having safety warning information thereon which is
visible through the outer layer of clear plastic material.

[0013]The wood chipper further includes inwardly angled plates around at
least a part of the discharge outlet which focus material being
discharged toward the center of the discharge chute. Vent holes are also
provided in the back wall of the housing adjacent the discharge outlet
which adds airflow to the inside of the housing. Handle holes may be
provided adjacent a top portion of a back wall of the inlet hopper so
that the wood chipper may be easily manually moved. The discharge chute
should also may be mounted for swivel movement with respect to the
discharge outlet whereby the chips being discharged can be sent in a
desired direction.

[0014]These, together with other objects and advantages, which will be
subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and
operation as more fully described and claimed hereafter, reference being
made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like
numerals refer to the like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a wood chipper according to the
present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the manner in
which the inlet hopper is attached to a hopper neck which in turn is
attached to a housing;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the wood chipper shown in
FIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a left side elevational view showing the wood chipper of
FIG. 1 with an alternate form of a hitch;

[0019]FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a chipper disk
with a chipper knife to be attached to the front face and fins attached
to the back face of the disk;

[0020]FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a large gusset
brace supporting the housing from the platform of the wood chipper;

[0021]FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the wood
chipper illustrating a high discharge swivel chute mounted thereto;

[0022]FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the top of the housing
showing air vents in a back wall and inwardly angled plates mounted
around the discharge outlet; and

[0023]FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing the inside of the
front plate of the housing and illustrating the inlet hopper neck and
having a wear plate and side anvil mounted around the inlet opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024]Referring to the drawings, a wood chipper, generally referred to by
the numeral 10, is shown which includes a platform 12 having wheels 14
mounted thereon so that the wood chipper is easily portable. The platform
has a hitch 16 attached to the front thereof so that the wood chipper may
be easily towed by a vehicle.

[0025]A chipper housing 18 is mounted on the platform and has a rotary
cutting disk 44 mounted inside which is rotatable through power supplied
by a suitable motor 24. The inlet hopper has a discharge chute 22
attached thereto to discharge materials processed through the wood
chipper. An inlet hopper 20 is connected to the backside of the housing
18 whereby material to be chipped can be feed to the rotary disk in the
chipper housing.

[0026]As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the inlet hopper 20 extends upwardly from
the housing 18 at a suitable angle so that material to be chipped can
flow by gravity through the hopper to the housing to be chipped. The
inlet hopper is an oversized hopper which will take saplings in small
trees with little to no pruning of side branches. While reference is made
throughout to wood material, other material also may be chipped.

[0027]A blow back shield 26 is attached to the top front rim of the inlet
hopper as shown in FIG. 1. The blow back shield is comprised of an outer
layer 28 of a clear synthetic material such as plastic and an inner layer
30 of a synthetic material such as plastic which preferably is of a
yellow color and which extends part way underneath a length of the layer
of clear plastic material. Both layers of synthetic material of a width
sufficient to extend across the width of the inlet hopper. The layers are
held in place by a bracket 32 and suitable rivets or bolts which extend
there through to attach the bracket and the layers of plastic to the top
at the front of the inlet hopper. The layers of synthetic material are of
heavy enough plastic that they spring back to a normally closed position
after material passes thereby.

[0028]The inner layer of color plastic material 30 is provided with a
safety warning such as a warning indicating no hands are allowed in the
area covered by the inner layer of plastic. By having the outer layer of
clear plastic, the safety warning can be easily seen by an operator. When
material to be chipped is pushed into the hopper, the two layers of the
blow back shield are pushed forwardly and the material is allowed to
proceed downwardly in the chute to the housing 18. Moreover, the
synthetic or plastic material from which the two layers are constructed
has sufficient resilience so that it snaps back into place after the
material being chipped passes through the hopper. In addition, the inner
layer provides further support for the outer layer and contributes to the
ability of the blow back shield to snap back in place.

[0029]The hopper 20 is provided with handle holes 34 adjacent the top
backside thereof so that an operator standing behind the wood chipper may
grab the inlet hopper by the handle holes to move the wood chipper. Since
the hopper extends upwardly several feet, the handle holes are at a
height which makes it ergonomically comfortable for an operator to grip
the hopper and transport the machine. The machine's center of gravity is
positioned such that it is easy to manipulate the machine over uneven
terrain and to transition from moving the unit to a chipping position.

[0030]The inlet hopper includes a neck portion 36 as shown in FIG. 2 for
connecting the hopper to the inlet 34 of the housing 18. The neck portion
has flanges 38 on the outside thereof which mate with flanges 40 on the
inlet hopper whereby the neck portion may be securely attached to the
hopper by means of suitable fasteners such as bolts inserted through
holes of the flanges. By having the connecting bolts on the outside of
the neck and the hopper, the hopper may be easily removed from the neck
portion. The inner end of the neck 36 may be attached to the housing 18
by suitable attaching means such as welding.

[0031]As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 18 is securely attached to the
platform 12 by a large gusset or brace 42 which extends diagonally
between the top of the platform and the back face of the housing. The
brace strengthens the entire wood chipper and enables it to process
material faster and smoother since the base creates lateral support that
also benefits the driveline by reducing deflection between the chipper
and the engine.

[0032]The chipper disk 44 is mounted on a rotatable shaft 46 inside of the
housing 18 as shown in FIG. 5. The shaft 46 is operatively connected to
an output shaft of the motor 24 by suitable means such as gearing or a
belt. Alternate drive means may also be used such as a power takeoff from
a tractor.

[0033]A chipper knife 48 is removably attached to an axial front cutting
face 50 of the chipper disk by suitable fastening means such as bolts 52
which extend through the chipper knife and openings in the disk. The
chipper knife 48 is attached to the disk adjacent a slot 54 which extends
through the chipper disk. While only one chipper knife and slot
combination is disclosed, additional knives and slots may be employed.

[0034]The chipper knife 48 has a cutting edge 60 which is angled inwardly
from the front face thereof whereby when material is chipped, the angled
cutting edge and angled face associated therewith direct the chips into
the slot 54 so that the chips easily pass through the slot to the back
face 58 of the cutting knife. A plurality of fins 56 are mounted to the
back face of the disk 44 so that when material is processed by being
chipped, the chips created by the knife easily flow through the chipper
slot through the back side of the chipper disk and then contact and are
objected by the fins from the housing 18 through a discharge outlet 62.

[0035]It is shown in FIG. 8, the discharge outlet 62 of the chipper
housing 18 is provided at the top of the housing on one end thereof. As
shown, the discharge outlet 62 has a generally rectangular configuration
and is provided with plates 62 at each corner thereof which angle
inwardly. These plates are sometimes referred to as dog ears. The
discharge chute 62 is provided at the end of a scroll 63 of the housing
which surrounds the chipper disk. The small angled plates act like a
nozzle directing the discharge of chips in an appropriate direction and
focus the spray toward the center of the discharge chute 22. As shown in
FIG. 1 the discharge chute 22 is attached to the top of the discharge
outlet 62. The inwardly angled plates 64 also keep the chips and other
material discharge away from any corners or edges that otherwise might
propagate a clog in the discharge outlet. This adds reliability to the
wood chipper.

[0036]As also shown in FIG. 8, vent hole 70 are provided on the front side
68 of the chipper housing through which air may enter the inside of the
housing when the chipper disk rotates. The use of the vent holes allows
more air into the system so that the chipper is able to discharge more
air out of the discharge chute and improve the air flow. This also
contributes to help the machine avoid clogging. As shown in FIG. 8, the
location size, size and number of the vent holes insures optimal
performance.

[0037]As shown in FIG. 9, the housing inlet 34 opens through the back side
66 of the chipper housing and the neck 36 of the inlet hopper 20 is
attached to the outside of the inlet opening. The bottom of the hopper
neck is provided at the front end thereof with a replaceable wear plate
72 which is held in place by bolts 76 inserted in slots 74 in the bottom
of the hopper neck. These slots 74 permit the wear plate to be adjusted
forwardly and backwardly. The wear plate 72 also acts as an anvil when
material is chipped. A side anvil 76 is attached to each side of the
inlet opening on the inside of the inlet hopper. The side anvils further
support the material passing there through as it is being chipped and
insure easy processing of a variety of materials. The side anvils not
only prevent the wood from vibrating but also prevent vines from wrapping
around the shaft 46 of the chipper disk or avoiding the path of the
chipper knife as the chipper disk rotates. This specific combination of
features at the inlet opening and the hopper neck all work together to
create a wood chipper that processes a variety of material smoothly and
quickly.

[0038]The disk charge chute 22 shown in FIG. 1 is a low discharge chute
which is attached to the discharge opening and which discharges the
chipped material to one side of the wood chipper. An alternate form of
discharge chute is shown in FIG. 7 wherein the discharge chute 80 is a
high discharge chute which is mounted for swivel movement by a swivel
connection 82 so that the discharge may be pointed in different
directions. A deflected 84 is pivotally mounted on the end of the
discharge chute 80 and has a handle 86 to adjust the angle of the
deflector. The swivel connection 82 limits the angle of rotation of the
high discharge chute to 180 degrees. This angle of rotation limits the
discharge from being directed towards an operator zone. Selector holes in
the swivel connection let an operator select various angles of discharge
that can be positively locked in so that the angle does not change do to
vibration.

[0039]The hitch 16 shown in FIG. 1 has a short tongue and a connection at
the end for attachment to a vehicle. Shown in FIG. 4 are two alternate
forms of hitches 90 and 96. The hitch 90 is a non-highway hitch which
extends outwardly from the platform 12 of the wood chipper. The hitch 90
has a handle 92 whereby the hitch can be easily pivoted about a pivot
point 94 to a vertical position for storage.

[0040]The hitch 96 is alternate form of the hitch which can be substituted
for the hitch 90. While both hitches are shown in FIG. 4, only one hitch
at a time is employed. The hitch 96 has a handle 97 and is pivotal around
pivot point 94 from a horizontal position to a vertical position. When
pivoted to the vertical position as shown in FIG. 4, the back end of the
hitch 98 has a support plate 99 at the end thereof so that it may support
the wood chipper on a surface. The hitch 96 is a highway hitch which is
of a sturdier construction and which has a ball hitch connection at the
outer end for connection to a vehicle. Although not shown, the hitch 90
also has a back extension whereby when it is pivoted to a vertical
position, the back extension also rests on a surface to support the wood
chipper. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a separate support beam 100 may
be provided at the front of the platform to support the wood chipper in a
horizontal position.

[0041]In operation of the wood chipper of the present invention, wood or
other material to be chipped is inserted into the inlet hopper 20 from
where it pivots the blow back shield 26 downwardly so that the material
passes through the hopper neck 36 and through the housing inlet 34 into
the interior of the scroll 63 whereupon the chipper knife 48 from the
chipper disk 44 chips the material into small pieces which pass through
the slot 54 of the chipper disk to the axial back face 58. After the
chips pass through to the axial back face 58, the fins 56 mounted on the
axial back face contact the chips and discharge them along with an
airflow out through the discharge outlet 62 of the housing and out
through the discharge chute 22 or 80.

[0042]The inlet hopper is on the same side of the wood chipper as the
motor so that the operator never needs to circle around the machine or
cross the path of the discharge chute. In the event of an emergency, the
operator can also quickly access the engine controls to shut the engine
down. This same side configuration makes for a more compact machine
having better balance.

[0043]Numerous other modifications and adaptations of the present
invention would be apparent to those skilled in the art and thus, it is
intended by the following claims to cover all such modifications and
adaptations which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.